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28 October 2011

Dried Juniper Berries

I like food, and not just for eating. Food is my favorite subject to photograph. I am fascinated by the varieties of foods found throughout the world. I love different shapes, colors, seeds and textures. Whenever I stumble upon something I haven't photographed before I snatch it up and fit it into one of my shoots somewhere. Often I end up with images, but don't have the time to find out more about my subject.

That was the case with these dried juniper berries that I photographed in February 2010 for use as microstock images.

Juniper berries are perhaps most famous for giving gin its distinct aroma, but a quick visit to Wikipedia reveals that they are also a popular spice for cooking wild game in Northern Europe and Scandinavia. Spice Barn has a modern take on the juniper berry with a chicken and pork recipe.

But I wonder if you can use them in a dessert? Although they have more of a savory spice flavor I did find this recipe for Soothing Juniper and Mulled Pears that sounds perfect for the winter months.

Perhaps the most interesting fact I learned during my little research spree to put together this article was that juniper berries were used in Ancient Egyptian medicine. The web is a little vague on the topic, but it is something that would be worth looking up in a library someday.

I will admit that these juniper berries were not put to cooking use after all the hot lights and touching, but if the opportunity arises to acquire some more my curiosity is certainly heightened from this little bit of research.